Douluo: The Gate to Heaven

Shrek Academy, Outer Division.

Shrek Academy, as the largest academy in Douluo Continent, has a vast area even in its outer courtyard, with all sorts of unique landscapes.

Within the academy lies its own artificial lake, which, according to legend, was created by the Sea God Tang San using his divine power. Hence, Shrek Academy calls it the Sea God Lake.

The moonlight poured down like quicksilver, reflecting on the shimmering surface of Poseidon Lake, where the lakeside was shaded by green trees and blooming with flowers.

At this moment, in the flower bushes by the Sea God Lake, a boy who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old lay on the ground listlessly, with a blade of grass in his mouth, his legs crossed, his hands under his head, his mind blank, looking relaxed and carefree.

However, a trace of struggle and sorrow was reflected in the boy's clear eyes.

"Tuoba Wukong, you were specially recruited by Dean Qian as a student with special talents in the Soul Guidance Department."

"I hope you can understand your situation. Your talent is mediocre. You have long exceeded the minimum age requirement for Shrek Academy to enroll a year ago, yet you don't even have your first spirit ring. This kind of speed is not enough even in ordinary mid-to-high-level spirit master academies, let alone Shrek Academy, where the pride of heaven gathers."

"If you continue like this, you'll only be ruthlessly eliminated by Shrek Academy..."

"Think it over carefully. Once you sign the contract, Shrek Academy will provide you with the same level of medicinal benefits as the core disciples of the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Academy, helping your soul power reach the level of an advanced soul master as quickly as possible..."

In the afternoon, Zhou Yi, Tuoba Wukong's homeroom teacher, took out a soul guide contract and hoped that Tuoba Wukong would sign it.

It was a loan agreement, or rather a funding agreement. Shrek Academy would fully fund Tuoba Wukong's learning resources in the Soul Guidance Department and provide all of Tuoba Wukong's future needs for pills and potions, turning Tuoba Wukong into a high-level Soul Master. The price was that Tuoba Wukong had to stay at Shrek Academy after graduation, serve as a tutor at Shrek Academy, and research Soul Guidance Technology for Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy is the largest academy in the world, holding a supreme position among the three great empires of Douluo Continent. For Tuoba Wukong, who had long since left his family and was all alone, staying at Shrek Academy to work was not a bad life choice.

However, Tuoba Wukong was unwilling to accept this.

Signing the contract means that he will accept the training program provided by Shrek Academy and devote himself wholeheartedly to the study of soul guidance technology. The improvement of his martial soul power will rely entirely on drugs, and his soul rings will also mainly enhance his soul power.

With the rise of Soul Guidance Technology, the pharmaceutical technology of Douluo Continent has also greatly improved, and various pills and elixirs can help Soul Masters quickly enhance their strength.

However, these elixirs have a fatal flaw.

Once a large amount of medicine is taken for cultivation, a strong drug resistance will develop in the body. No matter how outstanding one's talent is, once a certain level is reached, it will be difficult to make any further progress.

Taking medicine to cultivate is tantamount to giving up one's path to martial spirit.

"Damn God, you brought me to this world, gave me hope, and then made me despair. This is a messed-up world. Logically speaking, my talent isn't bad, so how come I can't even break through level ten at thirteen? People with innate soul power at level one or two are probably about the same level as me now..." Tuoba Wukong kept cursing.

This world is both fortunate and cruel.

Fortunately, this world possesses extraordinary power, making it far more exciting than the world of Tuoba Wukong's previous life, which only had technology but no extraordinary abilities. However, the cruel reality is that the path to extraordinary power in this world is locked from the very beginning by the talent of each Soul Master.

A powerful martial spirit and high innate soul power pave a smooth road ahead; conversely, no matter how hard one tries, one will only ever be mediocre in strength.

It's a world where talent determines everything.

In theory, Tuoba Wukong's talent is not bad. His martial soul is a space-type martial soul, which is extremely rare on the continent. Although the number of soul beasts with space attributes on the continent is extremely small, as long as he absorbs a few soul rings, he can easily become a powerful battle soul master by relying on the strangeness and strength of the space type.

Tuoba Wukong possesses a level 5 innate soul power. While he may not be as powerful as those prodigies with full innate soul power, nor as talented individuals at levels 8 or 9, he is still considered to be at a mediocre level.

However, no matter how Tuoba Wukong cultivated, it was extremely difficult for him to improve the soul power of this body.

For seven whole years, his soul power was still just a hair's breadth away from level ten.

Keep in mind that level 10 isn't even close to being a Soul Master.

"Could it be that I am ultimately not the true owner of this body?" Tuoba Wukong sighed bitterly in his heart.

That's right, he wasn't a reincarnation with memories in the conventional sense, but rather a possession. In his previous life, he died in a tourist accident and fell off a cliff. When he woke up again, his consciousness was already attached to this body of a six-year-old. Although he absorbed the original owner's fragmented memories, Tuoba Wukong knew very well that this was not his body, nor was he a reincarnation.

However, this was the biggest secret buried deep in Tuoba Wukong's heart, and it was impossible for him to tell anyone.

Originally, having been given an extra life and arriving in a world with extraordinary power, Tuoba Wukong was overjoyed. He had already imagined all sorts of stories about flying through the sky and diving into the earth, and moving mountains and seas with a wave of his hand. However, the reality of his slow progress in soul power gave him a harsh slap in the face.

Ideals are never as good as reality.

"Do I really want to give up the path of a Soul Master and become a Soul Master with no future?" Countless memories flashed through Tuoba Wukong's mind, and a flame of resentment was constantly scorching his heart.

Time travel was only Tuoba Wukong's first secret. His second secret was that he had seen the story of this world before. Although his memories were vague, they gave him a better understanding of the reality of this world.

God can exist in this world.

Sea God, Asura God, War God... these gods are not just legends.

Choosing to take medicine to enhance one's soul power is tantamount to cutting off one's own path forward.

Although the soul guidance technology in this world has some similarities with the technology in his previous life, and is even more backward, he is confident that he can become an outstanding soul guidance master. However, he is unwilling to give up the path of a soul master.

But reality is so cruel...

Tuoba Wukong was struggling and unable to make a decision for a long time.

Just as Tuoba Wukong was struggling to make a decision, a golden stone gate appeared in his mind, and the gate trembled violently.

"What happened?" Tuoba Wukong stood up subconsciously, not understanding why his martial soul was acting strangely.

Just then, a violent whistling sound came from the air, and a purple light rapidly approached him...

Upon recognizing the figure within the purple light, Tuoba Wukong's hair stood on end: "Damn it, it's the Purple Sky Sable! How could something like this appear at Shrek Academy? This guy must have a thousand years of cultivation!"

Although his soul power cultivation speed was slow, Tuoba Wukong was of extraordinary birth. Although he had left his family for many years, he was still knowledgeable and discerning. In particular, space-type soul beasts were rare, and he remembered every soul beast with spatial abilities.

The purple sable is one of them.

Even a Soul Venerable would have a hard time dealing with a Purple Sky Sable of the Millennium level.

Moreover, the purple sable is highly poisonous; once bitten by this inconspicuous little creature, even a god cannot save you.

How could Shrek Academy have such a dangerous soul beast?

Tuoba Wukong had no time to think about anything else. He took out a one-meter-long metal rifle from the soul tool at his waist and pulled the trigger directly at the Purple Sky Sable.

boom!

The loud roar of a bullet leaving the barrel rang out, and a bronze bullet grazed past the body of the purple sable.

Unfortunately, this was a musket that Tuoba Wukong replicated based on his own memories. It was quite powerful and could pose a significant threat even to thousand-year-old soul beasts. However, Tuoba Wukong was not a professional sniper or a professional gunsmith, so he couldn't guarantee accuracy or the sound of the bullets firing.

It's fine against large soul beasts and soul masters, but it's not enough against soul beasts like the Purple Sky Sable that excel in speed.

However, the roar of the muskets was actually a good thing for Tuoba Wukong at this moment. If the loud noise could attract the passing Shrek Academy outer court teachers, he could escape disaster.

Having missed with his first shot, Tuoba Wukong had to concentrate all his attention, reload, and aim again.

"Concentrate, concentrate, you must concentrate..." Tuoba Wukong kept reminding himself. The Purple Sky Sable was getting closer and closer, and he only had one chance to launch.

If he misses even once, he'll be the one who dies.

boom!

When the Purple Sky Sable was less than twenty meters away from Tuoba Wukong, Tuoba Wukong pulled the trigger again, and the roar of the bullet leaving the barrel rang out once more...

bingo!

Tuoba Wukong breathed a sigh of relief.

At such close range, the speed of the bullet made it impossible for the Purple Sky Sable to dodge.

Just then, specks of silvery-white starlight flickered on the body of the Purple Sky Sable. The next moment, the Purple Sky Sable disappeared and reappeared in front of Tuoba Wukong.

"Not good!" Tuoba Wukong shouted, urging all the soul power in his body to flash to his side.

The purple sable missed its target, but its sharp purple claws tore through a piece of flesh.

A searing pain shot through his arm, and Tuoba Wukong's face turned deathly pale. With a steely resolve, he forced himself to endure the pain and reload...

The Purple Sky Sable was very fast. It pounced on Tuoba Wukong with all its might, but missed its target. It then turned its attack around again, but Tuoba Wukong had already reloaded his bullets.

At the critical moment of life and death, Tuoba Wukong remained calm; he still had one chance.

Boom!

Just as the Purple Sky Sable pounced on Tuoba Wukong, the musket in his hand finally fired.

The bullet blasted from the barrel, and at such close range, a flower of blood bloomed directly on the sharp head of the Purple Sable...

One shot, and he was dead.

The purple soul ring light rose up from the corpse of the Purple Sky Sable.

Using modern firearms, this thousand-year-old spirit beast was ultimately reduced to a dead soul.

Tuoba Wukong staggered, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. The wound on his arm emitted a purple, foul odor, and the toxins spread throughout his body via his bloodstream.

The body of the purple sable contains a potent poison.

The poison has now spread throughout his body; in less than an hour, he will be a cold corpse, unless…

Tuoba Wukong's face was pale, but his eyes hardened.

There is only one way to cure the Purple Sky Sable's poison: absorb its soul ring...

Soul rings are special entities formed from the essence of a soul beast, containing all the characteristics of the soul beast. After absorbing the soul ring of the Purple Sky Sable, Tuoba Wukong acquired the characteristics of the Purple Sky Sable, so the poison of the Purple Sky Sable was naturally not a big problem for him.

In the fierce battle just now, under the pressure of life and death, Tuoba Wukong finally broke through the bottleneck that had been trapping him and reached level ten.

The problem is that even a level 10 Soul Master who absorbs a thousand-year Soul Ring will still face certain death; aside from exploding, there are very few other outcomes.

But Tuoba Wukong had no other choice...

Tuoba Wukong walked towards the location of the Purple Sky Sable Soul Ring.